Friday, July 19, 2013

Congressman Posey Votes To Delay Obamacare Mandates

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Wednesday, the U.S. House
of Representatives passed legislation with the support of Congressman
Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) to delay for one year the Affordable Care Act health insurance
mandates on both employers (H.R. 2667) and individuals (H.R. 2668),
which are part of the 2010 health care law.

Citing the burden of complex regulations on businesses, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Obama Administration recently
announced that President Barack Obama will unilaterally suspend the January 2014 statutory
deadline that requires employers to provide government approved health insurance to employees but he will keep in place the provision that mandates that individuals buy federally approved health insurance or face a fine.

"Just
like our effort to turn the 21 page application for health insurance
into a 3 page application, we are working hard to adapt and to be
flexible in employer and insurer reporting as we implement the law,"
said White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett.

The Treasury Department said in a statement the delay
is designed to meet two goals:

1) To allow the Obama Administration time to consider ways
to
simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the law; and

2) To provide time to adapt health
coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making
health
coverage affordable and accessible for their employees.

But
with midterm elections just around the corner, skeptics of announced
delay are already questioning whether the motives are political so that
Democrats do not lose seats in Congress or state elections due to public
backlash. The other ulterior motive is potential fundraising for
Democrats from mid-size and large corporations that seek to obtain
Obamacare regulation carve-outs or notorious waivers to the Affordable
Care Act. Human Events, a conservative publication, asks why didn't the Obama Administration also delay mandates on individuals instead of just businesses?

“I don't think that the President has the authority, nor should he give
businesses a pass while still imposing this expensive mandate on
individual Americans and fining them for not signing up for
government-approved health care,” said Congressman Posey. “From day one
the health care law has been a drag on the economy and has hindered job
creation while doing nothing to bring down the price of health
insurance. The Administration's decision to give businesses a pass, but
keep the mandate on individuals is a double standard that should not
stand. The top priority for leaders in Washington should be protecting
our liberty and creating a better environment for businesses across our
nation to grow and add jobs.”

The health care law requires that the mandates for individuals and
businesses take effect on January 1, 2014. Posey's office said in a release that "The Administration's
decision to ignore the clear language of the law by suspending the
mandate for businesses while keeping the mandate in place for
individuals flies in the face of the clear reading of the legislation."